Defenders of the Force, Episode 2: Ghosts of the Past
by EsmeAmelia
Summary: It's the first day of Jedi training for Mae Skywalker, Anakin Solo, and Tamyra Offee, but they're discovering uncomfortable truths about their Jedi ancestors while at the same time trying to find out who was behind the bomb threat the other day. Second story in a series featuring Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, the droids, and OCs.
1. Chapter 1

AN: No, I don't own Star Wars yet. For those of you who don't know what I'm doing, this is the second episode in my "Defenders of the Force" series. It would be best if you would read the first episode before reading this one (just go to my profile and you'll find it - it's not long). And what do you know, I found a way to tie the latest Clone Wars episode into this fic.

The new characters I've introduced so far are:

Rianna Trenn Skywalker: Luke's wife, a former Naboo queen (she's technically appeared in some of my other fanfics before, but she's still my OC).

Mae Skywalker: Luke and Rianna's thirteen-year-old daughter who's beginning her life as a Jedi trainee.

Owen Skywalker: Luke and Rianna's ten-year-old son.

Tamyra Offee: A thirteen-year-old blind Mirilian trainee, Barriss Offee's niece.

Reviews are much appreciated, but not required - I'm not one of those authors who threatens to stop writing if people don't review.

"Defenders of the Force, Episode 2: Ghosts of the Past"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 1

Mae Skywalker didn't know what to expect from her mother's classes. "Philosophy of the Force" - how exactly did that work? There was the light side and the dark side, everyone knew that, but what else was there to analyze? Why couldn't she get something more interesting for her first class as a Jedi trainee?

She was sitting next to her cousin Anakin, who was doodling on his notebook, drawing himself holding up a lightsaber against Darth Vader, their grandfather. Mae wasn't exactly sure if the picture was tasteful, given that he was named after Darth Vader, but maybe Anakin was drawing it to be ironic.

"Yes Dad, I'm fine . . . I'll call you after class, okay? . . . Okay, tell Mom I said hi . . . I love you too, bye."

Their new friend Tamyra Offee entered the classroom, a comlink in one hand and her sensor in the other. Once she hung up the comlink, she began waving her sensor in front of her, letting it tell her the layout of the classroom. After a few seconds, she made her way up the three steps to where Mae and Anakin were sitting.

"Hey guys," she said. "Looks like we all have the same class schedule. Would you mind if I sit with you?"

Anakin looked up from his drawing and grinned up at Taymera even though she couldn't see him. "Sure, you can sit with us. There happens to be an empty seat right next to me."

"Thank you," said Tamyra, carefully sliding herself into the seat.

"Would you like me to tell you about my drawing?" asked Anakin.

"Sure," said Tamyra.

"Okay, well I'm a Jedi here, and I'm battling my grandfather, Darth Vader . . ."

He didn't get a chance to explain the details, since right at that moment the teacher walked in. Just like yesterday, Rianna was wearing her Jedi robe, her lightsaber dangling from her belt. "Good morning, young trainees," she said, turning around and writing her name on the whiteboard, her thick black hair swaying with her body. "My name is Rianna Trenn Skywalker. You may call me Master Rianna or Master Skywalker - I will answer to both." She turned around to face the students. "Before we get started, I'd like us to get to know one-another, so here's what we're going to do. We're going to go around the room and when it's your turn, I want you to tell me your name and a little bit about yourself."

Mae groaned softly. Was her mother trying to embarrass her for some reason?

"I'll start," Rianna continued. "My name is Rianna Trenn Skywalker and I am a Jedi. I first met my husband Luke when he and his sister and brother-in-law came to Naboo, where I was queen at the time, to try to convince us to join the New Republic. I have two children, Mae and Owen, and in my spare time I like to plant flowers and watch holofilms." She pointed to a Torgruta girl seated on the opposite side of the room from Mae. "All right, now why don't you start?"

The girl stood up even though she hadn't been told to do so. "My name is Sylia Truwe and I'm from Shili," she said in a rapid voice. "Mom and Dad found out I was Force-sensitive when I was a baby and I used the Force to pick up a baby toy. I like listening to music and going out with my friends."

Mae hardly listened as the other kids introduced themselves - she could only pay attention to the twitching in her stomach. She swallowed several times, but that did nothing to calm herself. It wasn't until Anakin's turn when she became really aware of what was happening.

"My name is Anakin Solo," Anakin said, "and my mom and dad are Leia and Han Solo - I bet you've heard of them. I've got a big brother and big sister, they're twins, and they're already students here. I like hanging out with my sibs and cousins and I also like doodling." He held up the picture of himself fighting Darth Vader. "See?"

"Yes, thank you, Anakin," said Rianna, turning her gaze to her daughter and smiling gently at her. "Mae?"

Mae wished the Force would let her make herself invisible. She took a deep breath. "Hi Mom . . . I mean Master Rianna." Her cheeks were already flushing and she could hear several giggles from around the classroom. "My name is Mae Skywalker. I always knew I was Force-sensitive since, well, both my parents are. I've got an annoying little brother named Owen and I like swimming and going out places."

"Thank you, Mae," said Rianna, smiling at her daughter before moving on to the next student. Mae felt like hiding under her desk. Both her parents had already said that they wouldn't treat her differently from anyone else in class, but she could still feel that her mother was internally gushing about her.

"All right," Rianna said after the class was done introducing themselves. "Now we're going to start with a simple question." She turned around and wrote "Where does the Force come from?" in large purple letters on the whiteboard. "Where does the Force come from?" she asked, turning back to face the class.

"Is this a trick question?" asked Sylia without raising her hand. "The Force comes from the midichlorians, everyone knows that."

"A good answer, Sylia," said Rianna, "though it's not entirely correct. Anyone else?"

Tamyra raised her hand.

"Tamyra?"

"Well, the Force doesn't exactly come _from_ the midichlorians," said Tamyra. "The midichlorians are what make us Force-sensitive, but they aren't actually the Force."

"Very good, very good," said Rianna, "but if the Force doesn't come from the midichlorians, then where _does _it come from?"

No one seemed to have an answer. Mae thought she might have an idea, but she had no desire to raise her hand and draw all attention to herself. Even if her mother was going to treat her like a regular person in class, that didn't mean she wouldn't gush once they got home.

"Anyone?" said Rianna, giving several fleeting glances to her daughter, clearly expecting her to raise her hand.

Meanwhile, Anakin's hand slowly went up.

"Anakin?"

Anakin cleared his throat. "Well, my mom explains it kinda like this. She says the Force comes from _us._ Like, every living being carries the Force inside them, even those who aren't Force-sensitive, and the Force kinda holds us together."

Rianna gave a slow nod at her nephew. "Yes, that's a very good answer." She looked back up, facing the whole class again. "The Force does indeed come from every life form. We are dependent on it and it is dependent on us."

Mae looked down at her notebook, starting to get tempted to draw on it like Anakin did. Even though she wasn't trained to use the Force yet, she didn't need the Force to know her mother was disappointed that she didn't answer that question.

It was going to be a long day.

. . .

After class, Mae quickly looked over her schedule. She had Jedi History next, followed by Basic Lightsaber Training, then lunch, then the whole afternoon would be spent in Luke's Basic Force Use class. Of course, that was assuming that the whole day went by without another bomb threat.

"Mae?"

Mae looked up from her desk and there was her mother, giving her gentlest smile.

"Yeah?" said Mae.

"Sweetheart, are you all right?"

Mae sighed. "Well I called you 'Mom' in front of the entire class - how do you _think _I am?"

"Oh come on," said Rianna, "I think everyone there knew you were my daughter."

"Different from _displaying _it," muttered Mae.

Rianna gave her motherly smile again. "Don't worry about it, honey. I've seen a lot of students who are nervous on their first day, but then as time passes they fit right in."

Mae sighed. "I've gotta get to my next class."

"Okay," said Rianna, sneaking a kiss on her daughter's head before she could move away. "Have fun."

Mae gathered her stuff and ducked out of the room before her mother could say anything more.

. . .

"So, what do you think of my aunt's class?" Anakin was asking Taymera when Mae caught up to them in the hall.

"It's interesting," said Tamyra, waving her sensor in front of her. "I like how it encourages you to think."

"Meh," said Anakin. "Personally, I'm looking forward to lightsaber training."

"_I'm _not," said Taymera. "I'll be terrible at that."

Mae smiled at the Mirilian even though she couldn't see her. "Maybe not. Dad told me that the first time he used a lightsaber, Obi-Wan Kenobi made him wear a helmet with a blast shield that covered his eyes. You might actually be ahead of the class."

Tamyra smirked. "Well I'm personally excited about Jedi History. I'd love to learn more about the old Jedi Order. Who knows, maybe we'll even learn something about my aunt. I don't really know much about her." She flicked her sensor from side to side as if showing it off. "So, who's going to be our Jedi History teacher?'

Mae sighed. "You'll see."

. . .

The Jedi History classroom was a small circular room, dimly lit with seats in small risers in a half-circle around a screen. Mae, Anakin, and Taymera took seats in the second riser, as close to the center of the screen as they could get. This time, Anakin didn't get a chance to doodle - it was only a few minutes before the teacher, or rather, _teachers,_ entered the classroom.

"Hello everyone, I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations, and this is my counterpart, R2-D2."

"Wait," Tamyra whispered, "the _protocol droid _is the teacher?"

Mae shrugged. "Not exactly. Technically, R2's the actual teacher and 3PO's the interpreter."

"As R2 just said," 3PO was saying, "this is a very interesting subject. It is probably quite personal for many of you, since you might have had relatives connected with the old Jedi Order." He pointed in Mae's direction. "Such as Mistress Mae right here, she is Anakin Skywalker's granddaughter." He started waving yet again. "Hello, Mistress Mae!"

Mae wondered how many times she was going to blush today.

Seemingly sensing Mae's discomfort, Tamyra raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Tamyra?" said 3PO. "Do you have a question?"

"Yes," said Tamyra. "I was wondering if you could tell me a few things about my aunt, Barriss Offee."

R2 beeped enthusiastically.

"R2 says we can indeed," said 3PO. "In fact, we have a recording of the day she betrayed the Jedi!"

He said it in such a jolly manner that everyone jumped when they heard Tamyra's reaction.

"_What?"_


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for reviewing!

"Defenders of the Force, Episode 2: Ghosts of the Past"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 2

"That's ridiculous!" Tamyra shouted, prompting everyone in the audience to look at her.

"What is ridiculous, Miss Tamyra?" asked 3PO.

"My aunt didn't _betray the Jedi!"_ Taymera continued. "She _wouldn't!"_

"I am sorry, Miss Tamyra," said 3PO, "but your aunt did indeed betray the Jedi. We have the recording right here. R2, why don't you play it?"

R2 beeped as he plugged himself into the teacher's desk. In just a few moments, a large image was playing on the screen. There was a Mirilan girl, glaring out at the senate before her with large blue eyes, her shoulder-length black hair seeming to hug her face, surrounded by guards.

"I did it because I have come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize," she said in a high, steady voice, "that the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war. That we've so lost our way that we've become villains in this conflict. That _we_ are the ones who should be put on trial, all of us! And my attack on the temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become: an army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the light we once held so dear."

Though Tamyra couldn't see the fire in her aunt's eyes, she could hear the fury in her voice. Her hand tightened around her sensor as if it were a weapon she were preparing to use. Mae could hear her teeth grinding as her aunt was taken away on the screen.

"That can't be my aunt!" Tamyra shouted as soon as the recording was over. "My aunt was a dedicated Jedi!"

R2 beeped angrily.

"Miss Tamyra," said 3PO, "R2 requests that you not make such a fuss during his class."

Anakin didn't hesitate to put his hand on Tamyra's shoulder.

"According to the old Republic's official records," said 3PO, "Barriss Offee was excuted for her crimes."

Tamyra's sightless eyes widened in shock. "But . . ." she gasped out, ". . . I thought she died in the siege on the Jedi Temple . . ."

"I am sorry, Miss Tamyra," said 3PO, "but that is the what the records say."

Tamyra was struck short of breath. She gulped several times as the droids continued thier lesson.

"Hey Tamyra, it's okay," said Anakin. "Look at it this way - my grandfather was Darth Vader. Now you can't get much worse than that, can you?"

Tamyra didn't answer.

. . .

After class, Tamyra was quiet all the way down the hall to their next classroom, despite Mae and Anakin's attempts at talking to her. They finally gave up when they reached the classroom for lightsaber training, which was a large, open room with a full-height window on one end and rows of trainee lightsabers hanging on the opposite wall. The students were already gathered around the teacher, Master Uma, a human woman with braided blonde hair going almost to her waist.

"Good morning, trainees," she was saying. "Welcome to your first lesson in lightsaber use. I'm sure most of you are super-excited about this, but be forewarned - fighting with a lightsaber is very difficult. It will tire out your muscles and send your brains into a whirl, which is why you have me to teach you how to use them properly." She extended her arm towards the lightsabers hanging on the wall. "Now _those _are special trainee lightsabers, which we will be using in this class. They won't kill you or hack off your limbs, but they can still be very painful if they hit you, so always use caution. But don't worry - we won't be using them today."

"WHAT?" the class exclaimed in unison.

"You heard me," said Master Uma, flicking her braid around her shoulder. "Lightsaber use requires you to be in top physical condition, so that's what we'll be focusing on today. Oh, by the way . . ." She fixed her eyes on Mae and Anakin. ". . . your name being Skywalker or Solo won't get you any special treatment in _this_ class, is that clear?"

"Yes, Master Uma," Mae and Anakin answered, both in groaning voices.

"Good," said Master Uma. "Now we'll be starting with sit-ups, so everyone on the floor!"

. . .

" 'And by the way, your name being Skywalker or Solo won't get you any special treatment in _this _class,' " Anakin mocked as the trio entered the cafeteria. "I can't believe it. Lightsaber training and we don't even get to use lightsabers."

"Well, Master Uma _did _say they were difficult to use," said Tamyra.

"They're probably covering their butts by making us wait," said Mae, wiping sweat off her forehead. "You know, my mom and dad don't want to get sued by any parents, so they want to make sure no one hurts themselves in lightsaber class by training them up before they get to use lightsabers."

"But Master Uma said those were _trainee_ lightsabers," said Anakin.

"She said they could still hurt," said Tamyra.

"I don't care," said Anakin. "I wanted lightsaber class, not _gym class."_

He might have complained about that throughout lunch if two voices hadn't called them.

"Hey guys!"

Mae perked up at the sight of her older cousins. Jaina and Jacen came running up to the trio, each carrying empty food trays, grinning widely.

"So, did Master Uma make you do fifty sit-ups?" asked Jacen, messing up his little brother's hair.

Anakin cringed. "Why didn't you guys _tell _me we wouldn't be doing lightsabers the first day?"

"And miss out on seeing your face when you find out?" Jacen scoffed in his deep voice.

"Don't worry, little brother," said Jaina. "You'll get to use lightsabers _eventually."_

Meanwhile Tamyra was clearing her throat and waving her sensor in the twins' direction.

"Oh, right," said Mae. "Jaina, Jacen, this is our new friend Tamyra. Tamyra, these are my older cousins, Jaina and Jacen. They're twins."

"Nice to meet you," Tamyra said, though with a gloomy edge to her voice.

"Hey," Jaina said gently, "is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," said Tamyra.

"She found out her aunt betrayed the old Jedi Order," said Anakin.

"Anakin!" Mae hissed.

Tamyra sighed. "It's all right, Mae. They probably already know how Barriss Offee betrayed the Jedi."

Jacen bit his lip. "Who's Barriss Offee again?"

Tamyra sighed again.

"She was a Jedi padawan in the old Order," said Jaina. "And . . . I think she set off a bomb in the Jedi Temple, if I remember correctly."

Tamyra gulped. "Can we please talk about something else?"

Jaina and Jacen both seemed to sense Tamyra's discomfort, for they both quickly quieted down.

Mae did her best to change the subject. "Are we allowed to sit together?" she asked. "Or do new trainees have some table they're required to sit at?"

"Nah," said Jacen. "You guys can sit wherever you want."

"Then let's sit together!" Anakin exclaimed.

. . .

Once the five had gotten their food, they settled at a round table in front of a holovid that was displaying a slideshow of messages for the students, as well as quotes from famous Jedi. It was only a few minutes before Mae got tired of reading, "Do or do not, there is no try" over and over again.

"So, who do you think the Revolutionaries are?" Jaina asked. "Dad thinks they might be old Imperials trying to get revenge."

"I dunno," said Mae. "I'm getting a little tired of that question, frankly. My dad's been asked it over and over."

Tamyra was pressing her fork against her plate. "Maybe they're like my aunt."

Jacen reached over and patted Tamyra's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about your aunt. I mean, my grandfather . . ."

"Yes, I _know_ about your grandfather!" Tamyra interrupted. "But you always knew who your grandfather was, didn't you? Meanwhile, I grew up _proud _to be Barriss Offee's niece."

"Well maybe you can _still _be proud," Jacen said gently.

"Yeah," said Anakin, scooting a little closer to Tamyra. "I mean, look at me. My mom and dad _named me _after my grandfather. I asked my mom about it once and she said I wasn't named after Darth Vader, but after Anakin Skywalker, the guy he was before all that bad stuff. For that matter, he became good again when he sacrificed himself to save my uncle, so you know, it's not so bad to be related to him." He took a bite of his food before continuing. "Course, my dad says he wanted to name me after _him,_ but I'd rather be Anakin than Han Solo Jr."

Tamyra didn't look convinced, but before anyone could say anything more, there was a sudden erruption of sound coming from the holovid. All eyes quickly turned to face it and found that it was no longer showing the slideshow. In its place was a blurry image of a human woman with a hood pulled over her eyes, vaguely resembling the old Emperor Palpatine.

"Hello, young Jedi," the woman said in a slow, deep voice. "Are you enjoying yourselves? You might think yourselves so clever after you managed to escape the little present we sent you the other day, but never mind, _that _was only the beginning."

"What does she look like?" Tamyra whispered. "Do you recognize her?"

"No," Mae whispered back. "She's wearing a hood - you can't see much of her at all."

"Are you proud to be Jedi, younglings?" the woman continued. "Are you proud to be part of this legacy? Well let me show you something." What little that could be seen of her mouth seemed to draw up into a smile. "_This_ is the Jedi's legacy."

With that, the image switched to a hologram, blown up to fill the entire screen. Nearly everyone in the room could recognize the figure the hologram showed.

It was Anakin Skywalker.

Killing children.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks for reviewing! This chapter includes a "modified" version of Rianna's backstory from "My Mother," the story where she made her debut. Since Padme's dead in this universe, Luke and Rianna's meeting and following hardships here are similar to that story, but not identical.

"Defenders of the Force, Episode 2: Ghosts of the Past"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 3

Mae felt numb.

Even though several students were panicking and the adults in the room were telling everyone to stay calm, she could barely process it. Even though the screen had gone blank, she still saw the image every time she blinked. Her stomach was flipping and her breath was short.

Why was she reacting like this? She had always known who her grandfather was. Her father told her about Darth Vader numerous times - one of Luke's favorite stories was about how Vader killed the Emperor. She had read about Darth Vader, seen holos of Darth Vader, heard many accounts of Darth Vader, how he had destroyed her aunt's planet, cut off her father's hand, frozen her uncle, killed the Jedi.

So why was she shuddering?

"Attention," Luke's voice shouted from the loudspeaker. "Everyone, stay calm. Now listen, in light of this most recent happening, afternoon classes will be cancelled. Anyone who wishes to go home may do so. If you are staying here and don't feel comfortable spending the night here, you are welcome to stay at my place."

Once the announcement was over, Mae glanced back up at the screen, which was still blank, though she felt like she could still see her grandfather's image. She looked back at her tablemates, who were all strangely quiet. Then she looked down at her food, wondering if she was allowed to finish it or if the cafeteria was about to close.

The Revolutionaries had somehow penetrated their closed broadcast. It should be shocking her, but somehow it wasn't. Since they had managed to plant a bomb in the temple just a few days ago, penetrating their broadcast didn't seem like such an amazing feat in comparison.

"So . . ." Jaina finally said, ". . . I guess we should leave?"

"Yeah," said Jacen, "we probably should."

The three Solos got up and dumped their food into the trash can, but they still lingered around the table where Mae and Taymera hadn't moved. "Hey," said Anakin, "you guys okay?"

"No," Mae and Tamyra said in unison.

Anakin shrugged awkwardly. "Okay, well, do you guys wanna come to our place? Mom's at work, but I'm sure Dad would be fine with it."

"Sure," said Tamyra. "I've got nothing to do now, anyway."

Mae sighed. "I'd like to talk to my dad first, if that's all right." The instant Anakin nodded, she got up and made her way out of the cafeteria.

. . .

Mae found both her parents in her father's office, Luke seated at his desk with his face in his hands and Rianna pacing around the floor. They both perked up when they saw their daughter, but there was still worry in their eyes.

"Hey sweetheart," said Rianna, wrapping her arms around her daughter's waist. "Are you okay?"

"No," Mae answered that question for the second time. She peered over her mother's shoulder at her father. "Dad, had you ever seen that recording before?"

Luke sighed. "Not _that _particular recording, but I saw enough of what my father did in person."

"DId you know he killed children?" Mae asked.

"He killed _millions _of adults _and _children when he destroyed Alderaan," said Rianna, shivering ever-so-slightly as she released her daughter.

"I know," said Mae. "It's just . . . this feels different somehow, you know, when I actually _saw_ it." She sighed, gazing at a family holo on Luke's desk from when Mae was six and Owen was three, Luke holding Mae and Rianna holding Owen. "And . . . I always thought of Darth Vader as that big scary monster in the black suit, you know? Here he was _human."_

"He was _always_ human," said Luke. "Being put in the suit didn't change who he was."

_Who,_ he said. Not _what._ Of course Luke would never refer to his father as _what,_ but in the suit he certainly seemed more like a _what _than a _who._

"That's not the part we need to worry about," said Rianna. "What we need to be concerned about is how the Revolutionaries managed to penetrate our broadcast."

"Does it _matter_ how they did it?" exclaimed Mae. "They _did _it, and they showed my grandfather doing . . . doing . . . and I'm _related _to the guy . . ."

Luke and RIanna exchanged awkward glances before looking back at their daughter. "Mae, sweetheart," Rianna said after taking a deep breath, "there's something I should tell you."

"What?" asked Mae.

Rianna put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, her face wearing the serious "queen expression," as Luke called it. "You know how your father and I met, right?"

Mae raised a brow. "Yeah? I mean, Dad and Aunt Leia and Uncle Han and Chewie went to Naboo to discuss the planet joining the New Republic and you were queen at the time, right?"

Rianna twisted her mouth, the hand that wasn't on Mae's shoulder fingering her lightsaber belt. "That's true . . . but that's only part of the story."

Luke quickly stood up. "Honey, you don't have to tell her about that now . . ."

"She has a right to know," Rianna interrupted before looking into her daughter's eyes. "Your grandfather on Luke's side was Darth Vader, of course, but your _other _grandfather was involved with the Empire as well."

"Yeah yeah, I know," said Mae with a shrug. "Your dad was an Imperial soldier and he died in the war, but what does _that _have to do with anything?"

Rianna sighed, gazing down at the floor. "Your grandfather was killed in a very _famous_ battle, one so famous that we now mark our years with it."

Mae gulped. "Are you saying . . . he died in the Battle of Yavin?"

Rianna sighed yet again and nodded.

"But . . . does that mean _Dad . . .?"_

"At first I hated him for it," Rianna interrupted.

"But . . . _how?"_ Mae looked from her mother to her father and back again. "Your dad's on the space station he blows up . . . and you end up _married?"_ Her mind was spinning. Her entire life, she had seen her parents as a model couple. From the way they kissed each other good morning to the way they cuddled on the sofa in the evening, they always seemed to be silently saying "I love you." Even their arguments always ended in a kiss.

"Just listen, okay?" said Luke. "When we met, I could sense that you mother was Force-sensitive. I could also sense all the anger and hatred she carried and I was worried about her falling to the dark side."

Mae held up her hands. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. Are you saying _Mom _turned to the dark side too?"

Rianna gave anoter sigh, this one longer and more sorrowful. "When Luke started teaching me about the Force, I saw things. I saw my father dying over and over again. I felt anger - raw, hot anger, the kind that keeps you from thinking about anything else. It grew so bad that I told him I didn't want anymore lessons. Then one day . . ."

She stopped abruptly. Luke quickly rose from his seat and wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. "One day she tried to kill me," he said in a near-whisper.

Mae couldn't hold in her gasp.

Rianna was trembling slightly as Luke squeezed her hand. "I . . . I had my guards seize him and beat him. When he was properly weakened, I stepped in, pointing a blaster at his head. At that point, I knew the dark side was influencing me, but I didn't care. I just wanted to stop the pain." She gulped, squeezing her husband's real hand. "He told me that if I killed him then, the pain wouldn't stop. It would just go on and on. No matter who I killed, it would never be quenched."

Mae felt her eyes going dry from widening. She tried not to think about where this was going, but it insisted on entering her head. Rianna had a scar on her chest, just above her left breast. Mae had nevere asked about it, never questioned its presence, but now . . .

"Yes," said Rianna, apparently sensing her daughter's distress. "When I saw what the dark side would do to me . . . I thought there was only one way to escape that fate . . . ending my life." She gazed over at her husband, touching the spot on her chest with her free hand. "I turned the gun around and pulled the trigger . . . but then I woke up in the hospital and Luke was there. They all were. He never gave up on me."

Mae gulped, her hands clenching. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I tried to," said Rianna. "Many times. I just . . . didn't know how."

"Yeah, I understand," said Mae. "Probably hard to tell me I've got the dark side on _both _sides of my family." She took a deep breath through her teeth. "Look . . . Anakin invited me over for the afternoon and I think I need a break from all this, so can I go?"

"Of course," said Rianna.

Once her mother had given approval, Mae left the room, her hands in her pockets, her breath short. She still saw her grandfather slaughtering children in her head, only now it was joined by images of her mother pointing a blaster at her father.

Her mother tried to kill her father.

Her mother tried to kill herself.

Her mother had almost succumbed to the dark side.

She felt dizzy as she made her way down the hall, wanting to get to her cousins' place as soon as possible. Maybe Uncle Han would be able to offer some perspective.

Or maybe not.

. . .

By now Han was used to his kids inviting their cousins over without permission, so he didn't question it when Mae walked through the door. However, he did ask about Tamyra and whether or not she was supposed to be with her parents right now, but once he found out that she was staying at the temple, he was fine with her visit. Since they hadn't had much to eat at lunch, he made them some sandwiches, which they ate on the couches in unusual silence.

"Hey," he said after a while, "what's with all the quiet?"

Mae sighed. "You mean besides the fact that the Revolutionaries broke into the holovid system?"

"Well, yeah," said Han. "You guys'd be talkin' about it if it were just that."

Tamyra was fingering her sensor. "Well, I found out that my aunt was a traitor."

"Yeah?" asked Han, taking a sandwich from the plate on the caf table. "Who's your aunt?"

"Barriss Offee," Tamyra sighed. "I thought she was a noble Jedi, but I found out today that she planted a bomb in the Jedi Temple and was executed for her crimes."

"A bomb?" Han said with a raised eyebrow. "Well _that _sounds familiar. Think maybe these Revolutionaries got some ideas from your aunt?"

"_Dad!"_ Anakin hissed. "Be _sensitive,_ will you?"

Han held up his hand, showing his palm. "Hey, I'm just sayin' it's possible, that's all." He turned to face his niece, who was digging her chin into her hand as she rested her elbow on the sofa's arm. "So what's keeping _you _quiet?"

"Nothing," Mae grumbled.

"Oh, c'mon," Han coaxed. "Give your uncle a _little _credit, will ya? I know something's botherin' you."

"Fine," said Mae, folding her arms. "Mom and Dad told me how they _met."_

"Wait, what?" Han exclaimed. "You mean they haven't told you before?"

"No," Mae said with a sneer. "Apparently they tried to but they _couldn't."_

Han smirked. "Hiding family history, huh. Luke's more like that crazy Kenobi than he wants to admit."

Mae fingered her sandwich, pulling off a bit of the crust. "Say, Uncle Han, you were there. How did Mom and Dad end up in love after all that stuff?"

"You're seriously asking _me?"_ said Han. "I'm the only one in this family who doesn't have your Force thing, remember? I couldn't read their minds or sense any weird connections or stuff like that."

Mae shrugged. "Well maybe _that's_ why I'm asking you. Give me some perspective."

Han leaned back. "Perpsective? Well I thought it was dumb for Luke to be teachin' her about the Force in the first place. It was askin' for trouble, you know, and I think the kid knew it." He smirked. "He was probably smitten with her even then. Anyway, there was all that weird stuff that happened during their lessons - she saw visions and stuff, but I dunno much about that." He briefly closed his eyes, concentrating on those long-ago days. "But then after she shot herself, she seemed to become a different person. Luke visited her in the hospital every day - sometimes Leia and me and Chewie went with him, but they pretty much ignored us. They'd talk and talk and talk till the doctors threw Luke out." He drummed his fingers on his lap. "Course, they couldn't let her attempted suicide leak out to the public. The _official_ story was that it was an accident, like she'd forgotten to set her blaster to safety mode or some bantha shit like that. So yeah, you're not the only one they didn't tell."

"But _I'm_ not the public," Mae protested. "I'm their _daughter."_

"Mae, don't feel bad," said Tamyra. "It's an interesting story with a happy ending. It's not something to be ashamed of."

Mae sucked in her breath as she looked over at Tamyra. "If it's nothing to be ashamed of, then why did Mom and Dad take so long to tell me about it?"

Han didn't have an answer for that.

. . .

In the middle of the night, Mae woke up to the steady beeping of the comm. For a moment in her half-asleep state, she wondered when she had gotten a comm installed in her bedroom, but then she remembered that in the spirit of Owen's "sleepover" with Tamyra and a few other trainees staying at their apartment, he had convinced her to sleep in the living room with them.

The comm kept beeping, making it impossible to go back to sleep. She considered waking her parents up to answer it, but then she figured that it would be quicker to just answer it herself, and if it turned out to be someone trying to sell something, she could just hang up without having to disturb her parents.

She scrambled out of her sleeping bag and staggered over to the comm, scrambling around the sleeping guests. If it _was _some idiot trying to sell something without realizing what time it was at this location, she hoped she might be able to insult him without waking anyone up.

But the hologram that appeared wasn't that of a salesperson.

It was a figure in a robe, a hood covering its face, only showing an angular jaw and thick lips. After a moment, the figure spoke in a male voice that sounded surprisingly young - perhaps somewhere in his late teens or early twenties. "Mae Skywalker, I was hoping I'd get to talk to you.

"Who are you?" Mae whispered, her finger hovering above the button to hang up.

The figure appeared to be smiling under his hood. "My name isn't important. You know _what _I am."

Though Mae's finger still hovered over the button, she didn't press it. Instead, her curiosity drove her to speak to the figure.

"You're one of the Revolutionaries, aren't you?"


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks as always for reviewing!

"Defenders of the Force Episode 2: Ghosts of the Past"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 4

Mae's finger still hovered less than an inch over the button. She could press it in an instant, shove this person away, but something kept her from doing so.

"What do you want?" she asked warily.

The figure gave a slight shrug. "The other Revolutionaries want a lot of things, but I just want to talk to you."

"Yeah?" said Mae. "Well my dad would've been glad to talk to you guys if you'd offered that instead of a bomb."

"I didn't say I wanted to talk to your _father," _said the figure. "I said I wanted to talk to _you."_

Mae's stomach did a flip. "And . . . why would you want to talk to _me_? I'm just a trainee. I haven't even used a lightsaber yet."

The figure answered Mae's question only with a question of his own. "Mae, when you were young, did your parents ever ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up?"

Mae folded her arms. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, did they?" the figure persisted.

To her surprise, Mae was silent. Despite not knowing anything about this person other than that he was a Revolutionary and not to be trusted, she found herself thinking back to her early childhood, trying to find a moment when her parents had asked what she wanted to be when she grew up but discovering that she couldn't remember any such incident.

The hologram smiled under his hood. "I thought so. Luke Skywalker's daughter always knew she would grow up to be a Jedi, didn't she?"

"I _want _to be a Jedi!" Mae's response was automatic, not requiring any thought.

"Of _course _you do," said the figure in a slightly scoffing tone. "You don't want to disappoint dear old Mom and Dad, after all. I'll bet your brother wants to be a Jedi too - what a coincidence."

"He does," said Mae.

"But what if he _didn't?_" said the figure. "What if _you_ didn't? Can you honestly tell me that Mom and Dad wouldn't be disappointed?"

Mae was about to say that _of course_ they wouldn't be disappointed, but doubt again stilled her tongue. What _would_ happen if she or Owen said they didn't want to be Jedi? Luke and Rianna would go along with it, but would they be happy? They were so proud of their children being future Jedi - so much so that Mae could remember ever considering _not_ becoming a Jedi.

"I thought so," said the hologram. "But then, at least you know who your parents _are. _At least _you're _allowed to live with them, unlike the Jedi of old."

Mae's face hardened. "Yes, I know about that. My dad knows that's one of the mistakes the old Jedi Order made. He's not going to make the same mistake they did."

"_He's_ not," said the hologram. "But what about in say, a generation or two. Maybe you'll run the Academy someday and you'll remember what a mistake it was to take infants away from their parents, maybe even your children will, but what about after that? How long before the Jedi decide that the old Order was right after all?"

"It would be long after you and I are dead, if it ever happened at all."

The figure shrugged. "And I guess we shouldn't care what happens after we're dead. Ah well, it must be nice knowing exactly what your future's going to be like. Because you happen to be born with special powers, you've got everything all laid out for you."

Mae sighed. "Look, I don't know who you are or what your game is, but in case you don't know, it's the middle of the night where I live and I have to be up early for class tomorrow."

"Fine," said the figure. "Go get your beauty sleep. You want to be in tip-top shape for Jedi school after all." With that, his hologram disappeared.

Mae rubbed her eyes, wondering for a moment if the conversation had actually happened. She glanced down at the comm, thinking that it might have traced where the message came from, but the words "UNKNOWN FREQUENCY" were flashing at the bottom. Of course. The Revolutionaries wouldn't allow their communications to be traced.

She slid back into her sleeping bag, considering whether or not she would tell her parents about this. Of course she _should_ tell her parents, but she wasn't sure she wanted to. A slight tingle seemed to be making its way through her body, but it wasn't unpleasant. She had talked to a Revolutionary. By herself. It shouldn't excite her to be talking to one of the people who was plotting against her parents . . . but it was. She felt herself starting to grin like a little girl.

Maybe she would tell her parents tomorrow, or maybe she wouldn't. It wasn't like the person had shared important information about the Revolutionaries. It revealed that the Revolutionaries had their comm frequency, but it wasn't like anyone couldn't look up the famous Skywalkers' frequency.

The sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She raised her head from her pillow and in the dim light she could only just make out her mother coming down the balcony hallway over the living room.

"Mae?" Rianna asked. "Are you awake?"

"Mom?" Mae squirmed her way out of the sleeping bag.

"Mae, what are you doing up?"

Mae bit her lip as she climbed the stairs to her mother, wondering if the mystery person on the comm knew the truth about how her parents met. If he had, would he tell her?

"Sweetheart?" Rianna asked when her daughter reached her. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Mae couldn't wait for the day when she learned how to block her parents' Force senses.

"Are you still upset about today?" Rianna continued.

Mae shrugged. "Sort of . . . I guess." _Tell her about the call,_ her conscience was saying, but she ignored it as best she could.

Rianna wrapped an arm around her daughter, letting her smell the flowery shampoo from her evening bath. "Sweetheart, you know my first pregnancy was a miscarriage, right?"

"Yeah, that I _do _know," said Mae. "You got pregnant before you and Dad were married, but then you lost the baby, but what's that got to do with anything?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, suddenly uncomfortable. She didn't like to think much about her mother's miscarriage, since if that baby had lived, there was a chance that Mae herself might not exist.

"Well, when I was pregnant with you, Luke and I were both so worried about losing you." Rianna patted her daughter's shoulder. "He and I would both touch my belly and try to send you soothing thoughts through the Force. I don't know if it actually helped or not, but you came out bright and healthy."

"I still don't see what this has to do with anything," said Mae.

"Well," Rianna continued, "when you were born and I held you in my arms the first time, I thanked the Force."

Mae's mouth twisted. "Wait, what? You thanked the _Force?"_

"Yes," Rianna said in complete seriousness.

"But . . . the Force isn't _alive . . . _is it?"

"Do we _know _that?" Rianna said cryptically. "It's one of the things we'll get into in my philosophy course, but anyway, my point is that the Force gives us certain challenges in life, but it also helps us in overcoming those challenges. It will help us overcome this challenge too."

"You're talking about the Revolutionaries now?" said Mae.

"I'm talking about everything," said Rianna. "The Revolutionaries, our past, your troubles. We'll overcome it."

"Yeah . . . overcome," said Mae, still thinking about the mysterious figure in the comm, wondering exactly what "overcoming" the Revolutionaries would mean. "Mom . . . can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Mae gazed over the rail at the sleeping bags arranged around the floor. "What if I didn't want to be a Jedi? Would you and Dad be disappointed?"

"Of course not, sweetheart," said Rianna, though it felt like the said it a little too quickly. "We'd support you no matter what you wanted to do with your life."

"Mom, be honest," said Mae, turning and looking into her mother's green eyes.

"I _am_ being honest," said Rianna, messing up her daughter's hair. "I'm also being honest when I say you should be getting back to bed if you want to be in shape for tomorrow's classes."

"Fine," said Mae, giving her mother a quick hug. "Night, Mom."

"Good night, sweetheart."

As Mae made her way back to her sleeping bag, she still couldn't help but question her mother's honesty. Rianna probably _thought _she was being honest with her answer, but a hypothetical question was different from actually experiencing the situation. Her parents had always prepared her to be a Jedi - the hologram had been right about that.

But whatever, she was going to be a Jedi. It didn't matter whether or not her parents would be disappointed if she didn't want to be one because she _did_ want to be one. Didn't she?

She sighed as she sank her head into the pillow, trying yet again to decide whether or not to tell her parents about the call. Already she could imagine her mother exclaiming, "Why didn't you tell me about this last night?" which made her cringe just thinking about it. Maybe this really could be just her little secret.

Despite everything, she found herself hoping he would call her again.

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Next episode should hopefully be up soon.


End file.
